Strings of Fate
by NessaRosa
Summary: Harry was angry. He was angry that his friends had abandoned him. He was angry that no one seemed to believe him. And then he meets someone that does - a Slytherin that he had never noticed before. A Slytherin that he later learns is his soulmate.
1. Chapter 1

Harry was furious.

No matter how many times he old his housemates that he had not been the one to put his name in the Goblet of Fire, no one believed him. Ron was being a right wanker, most of his house thought he was a liar, and other treated him like it was all some sort of big joke. He had thought, at first, that at least Hermione was going to stand by him. She had said that she knew he didn't put his name in the Goblet. He had thought that meant she would stay by his side…

He guessed he had overestimated his importance.

He knew that she and Ron were soulmates. It had been a big deal their first year when the two realized it. That didn't stop them from arguing. Even the year before, the two had argued over Hermione turning his broomstick into Professor McGonagall. They hadn't spoken for weeks, all because they hadn't agreed on the course of action Hermione had taken. It hadn't stopped them then, why should it stop them now?

It wasn't that Harry wanted his best friends to fight. He just…he thought that Hermione would at least stand up for him.

Instead, she avoided him. She didn't join in when Ron started in on blaming him and accusing him of wanting the attention or whatever it was his supposed 'best friend' was saying, but she also didn't argue against the redhead. She didn't sit with Harry at breakfast. She just…acted like none of it was happening.

And Harry was tired of it.

He had sat next to Neville at breakfast that morning but even the quiet Gryffindor had stuttered over his words and dropped his toast whenever Harry spoke to him. His eyes kept darting over to where Ron was sitting with Seamus and Dean, his face flushing as the three boys laughed. After a few minutes of this, Harry had decided to take pity on Neville and he had placed his own food in a napkin and made his way out of the Great Hall.

He just wanted to be away from it all. Away from the whispers, accusations, and snickers. Away from the glares. He wanted someone to actually listen to him, to believe what he was saying.

Not for the first time, Harry wished he had met his soulmate when he began attending Hogwarts.

It had been both amazing and depressing to see classmates find the person they were supposed to be with. Ron and Hermione. Seamus and Dean. Anthony and Susan. There were more, Harry knew there were, but he had begun to block it out. He would admit that he was jealous. To have someone with him, someone that would actually know and prove that Harry was telling the truth…someone that was guaranteed to be with him. It was an amazing thought. Harry had hoped that he would meet his soulmate in the following years but, truthfully, he didn't have much to go on. Although his soulmates skin was probably littered with lies that Harry told on a daily basis, Harry's own skin was almost constantly blank. Oh, there were a few times words would appear, simple things like "I'm fine" or "No, everything is okay", which then made Harry worry because, clearly his soulmate was _not_ fine and everything _wasn't_ okay. But he had no idea who the person was and Harry had no way of helping him. He hoped that, one day, he would be able to do so.

But, at the moment, it was impossible.

Harry walked toward the Great Lake and paused for a moment when he saw a figure sitting against his favorite tree. He squinted, trying to make out who it was, but all he could see was light brown hair and green.

Slytherin.

Great.

With a sigh, Harry moved to sit a bit further down from the Slytherin student. The boy seemed absorbed in his book and Harry didn't think he had even looked toward him, so it should be fine. Most of the Slytherin's seemed to leave him alone…well, unless Malfoy was around. Harry stared out at the lake, finally relaxing for the first time in what felt like weeks. He was just so _tired_ of it all. He had to put up with the looks and comments throughout the entire day and things weren't any better in the dorms. The Common Room would go silent when Harry walked in, until someone yelled out how he did it. Harry would just ignore them all and go up to his room, only to hear them all talking about him when he stepped onto the staircase. It's like they thought if he was out of sight, he could not longer hear him. Then the other boys would slowly wander up the stairs and into their room. Neville would always give him a hesitant smile and then hurry toward his bed. Ron would glare. Seamus and Dean would badger him with questions of how he tricked the Goblet. None of it would stop until they finally went to sleep.

And Harry would be plagued by sleepless nights. Even if he did manage to fall asleep, he was getting frequent nightmares involving Voldemort.

"Stupid," Harry muttered, grabbing a stick and throwing it in the water. "I didn't put my name in that stupid Goblet! Why doesn't anyone believe me? I don't even want the attention. I was happy that I wouldn't have to be involved. They know that!" Harry continued to grumble to himself, throwing sticks and stones into the lake. He supposed he should be thankful that the squid wasn't close by – he probably wouldn't be too happy about Harry throwing things at him.

The loud closing of a book broke Harry from his angry mutterings. Shoulders tensing, Harry glanced over to where the Slytherin boy was sitting. He had forgotten that he wasn't alone and was embarrassed that he had most likely heard Harry throwing a tantrum like a child. The other boy was leaning against the tree, the book in his lap as he stared a Harry with hazel eyes. Harry flushed.

Yes, he had definitely heard him.

The boy looked vaguely familiar, with his sharp cheekbones, hazel eyes, and shagging brown hair. Harry supposed he had probably seen the boy around Hogwarts – maybe he sat near Malfoy at the Slytherin table. The boy's head tilted slightly as he stared back into Harry's eyes. Harry stared back, daring the other boy to make a comment. He was sure he would get some sort of condescending remark about him trying to fool everyone around him into thinking he was innocent… but the boy just let out a deep sigh and stood, wiping the dirt off of his robes.

"I believe you."

Harry blinked, unable to understand the comment for a moment. When he was finally able to put the words together in his mind, his mouth dropped open. "You…what?"

The boy met his eyes once more. "I believe you didn't put your name in the goblet." He looked away from Harry and glanced at the school before speaking again. "That doesn't change the fact that you now have to compete. Do your best not to get yourself killed, Potter." He turned and began walking toward Hogwarts. "You should probably get to class."

The boy soon enough disappeared and Harry was left wondering how the one person to believe him was a Slytherin he didn't even know the name of.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: thanks to those that reviewed/favorited this story! If you like it, please let me know!

Things didn't get any better in lessons that day. Even the Hufflepuffs were cold…which Harry could actually understand. They believed that Cedric was the true Hogwarts champion, a fellow Hufflepuff, and Harry had tried to turn the attention onto himself. People who at least usually spoke to him acted as if he didn't exist. Even Professor Sprout was distant.

Ron had continued on his little rampage of declaring Harry to be a liar and a cheat. Hermione avoided his gaze. But…but at least Harry had something else to focus on.

_"__I believe you didn't put your name in the goblet."_

The words echoed through his head most of the morning and, more than once, Harry found himself glancing around when he was walking toward classes. He had not been able to see the Slytherin anywhere and he was beginning to wonder if he had imagined the entire encounter.

It wasn't until he walked into double potions that afternoon that Harry froze in surprise.

The Slytherin was sitting at the front table. He was not speaking to anyone, his head bent forward and that same book in his hand. Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing. Was…was the boy in his year? Had they been having classes together for the past three and a half years?

How had Harry not noticed?

"Like them, Potter?" A loud voice called and, for one wild moment, Harry wondered if Malfoy was talking about the other Slytherin. It wasn't until he managed to look away from the dark haired boy that he noticed every Slytherin in the room was wearing a badge that reminded him of Hermione's S.P.E.W badges.

Except for the message on them, of course.

_Support CEDRIC DIGGORY- the REAL Hogwarts Champion!_

When Malfoy saw Harry looking at his badge, a smirk crossed over his sharp features. He pressed the badge on his chest and the message vanished but was quickly replaced by another.

_POTTER STINKS_

Heat rushed to Harry's face and he glanced toward the front of the room. Yes, the Slytherin boy was also wearing one of the badges, despite the fact he had claimed to believe Harry earlier that day. Something like a rock seemed to form in Harry's chest and he angrily turned his glare onto Malfoy. "Anyone want one? I've got loads," Malfoy directed the question to the Gryffindor students that were standing around the room. Harry followed his gaze but his year mates avoided his eyes. The anger that had been boiling in Harry for the past few days exploded and he gripped his wand.

There were gasps around the room, many of the other students dodging out of the way, but Malfoy merely drew his own wand. "Go on then, Potter," the boy said quietly, "Do it, if you have the guts-"

"_Furnunculus!_" Harry yelled.

"_Desaugeo!"_

Light shot from both wands and hit each other midair. Harry's spell ricocheted to hit Goyle while Malfoy's hit the wall behind Harry's head. Harry ducked down and then froze when he heard a familiar voice. "What is all this noise about?" Snape asked as he walked into the room. The Slytherin's instantly scrambled to give their explanation until Snape pointed toward Malfoy.

"Potter attacked me-"

"We attacked each other!" Harry protested.

"-and he hit Goyle, look…"

Snape turned, studying the ugly boils that were spreading across his face, then said, "Hospital wing, Goyle. Potter, fifty points from Gryffindor and detention. Now everyone sit down."

Harry slammed his bag down on the table in the back of the classroom and ignored the glares he was once again receiving. He figured this time it was for losing the house fifty points. Harry's eyes drifted toward the front of the classroom, once again looking toward the unknown Slytherin. The boy had placed his book away and was staring forward as he set up his ingredients on the table. Harry's rage subsided slightly as guilt took its place. How did he not even know the name of someone he had been in classes with for years? What type of person was he? Especially when this person knew him enough to actually say that he…

A knock on the dungeon door broke Harry from his thoughts. The door opened and Coilin Creevey, looking as if he would rather be anywhere else, edged into the room. "Yes?" Snape asked briskly.

"Sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter upstairs."

Snape glared down at the younger Gryffindor. "Potter has another hour of Potions to complete."

"M – Mr. Bagan wants him," Colin protested nervously. "All the champions have got to go. They want photographs-"

"Potter, leave your things here! I want you back later to test your antidote!" Snape snapped, cutting Colin off.

But Colin wasn't swayed. "Sir, he's got to take his things with him. The champions-"

"Very well! Potter, take your things and get out!"

Harry was only too happy to oblige. He stood and threw his bag over his shoulder, trying to ignore the badges flashing in his direction as he walked out of the dungeons. Colin tried to speak to him about how exciting everything was but Harry could only bring himself to grunt as they made their way to a small classroom. The other three champions were already inside, along with Bagman and another woman.

The woman turned out to be Rita Skeeter, a writing for the Daily Prophet. Within the first few minutes, Harry already greatly disliked the woman and it didn't help when she pulled him into a broom cupboard for an interview. Especially when everything her quill wrote down were lies. About his family, his home life, the tournament…hell, even his age was wrong! By the time he got out of the cupboard, Harry was furious and considering just going back to class.

Even if that class was Potions.

But part of the tournament, apparently, was the weighing of the wands ceremony and Ollivander was brought into the room. After the elder wizard had checked all four champions wands, they were forced to take pictures for the prophet.

Then Harry was finally free to go.

The photos had taken what felt like hours and it was time for dinner by the time Harry and the rest were finally released. Harry made his way to the Great Hall and sat alone at the end of the Gryffindor table, eating quickly so he could escape from the prying eyes. However, Harry glanced up at the Slytherin table more than once, noticing that the boy from that morning was sitting at the end of their table as well. He, once again, had a book out and wasn't speaking to anyone around him. Harry wondered if he ever spoke to anyone. Was that the reason he hadn't noticed him?

Well, at least he wasn't friends with Malfoy.

But Harry wanted to know why the Slytherin believed him. No one else did. Harry had even written Sirius days ago to explain the situation and he hadn't heard a word from his godfather. There was a sinking feeling in Harry's chest at the thought. He hoped that the owl had just had trouble finding Sirius and his godfather hadn't given up on him. Hopefully, he would receive a reply soon. Hopefully.

The Slytherin stood and Harry's eyes followed him as he began to make his way out of the Great Hall. Without fully thinking it through, Harry grabbed his bag and stood, hurrying after the boy. He followed after the boy until he walked into an empty classroom. Harry hesitated, wondering if the boy had led him there on purpose. Maybe it had all been some sort of joke or a trap –

"Might as well come in," the boy said, sighing as he stepped into the corridor once more. The hazel eyes stared at Harry as a dark eyebrow rose. "You were following me for a reason, correct?"

Harry nodded, not really sure what he should say or how he could explain himself, and stepped into the classroom. The Slytherin closed the door and Harry's shoulder's tensed and his hand strayed to his wand. He scanned the room but he didn't see anyone else inside. Not a trap, then.

"So?" the boy said, shaking his head as he looked toward Harry's wand. "Was there something you wanted to say?"

"I – uh, well," Harry swallowed. "You, uh, said that you believed me. I just wondered…" he broke off, realizing just how mad he was sounding.

The boy's eyebrows rose. "Wondering? Wondering why I believe you?"

Harry nodded sheepishly and the Slytherin hummed. "You should really just ignore, Malfoy. Your interactions just make him crave more. If you didn't give him the satisfaction of reacting, he'd eventually leave you be."

Harry blinked. "Wh- huh?" Why were they talking about Malfoy? They had been talking about the Goblet and why the other boy didn't think Harry had put his name in it. Why would they suddenly be talking about that poncy git? The boy turned and pulled the door open, beginning to walk into the corridor. "Wait! You didn't tell me why-"

The boy paused and glanced over his shoulder. He studied Harry for a moment before letting out a sigh. Turning back around, he slowly began to slide his school robe off of his shoulders. Harry watched in surprise as the boy pushed up the sleeves of his sweater, showing a variety of soulwords. Lies upon lies were written on his skin. Words that Harry remembered.

_Yeah, everything is fine._

_No, I'm not hungry._

_My relatives are fine. _

_No, it doesn't hurt. _

_Hermione, I promise, nothing is wrong._

_No, I don't know where he is._

_Yes, I told the Headmaster._

On and on they went. Words that Harry knew had once passed his lips. He stared at the skin in a kind of amazed horror. He knew, really he did, that all those lies would appear on his soulmate but he hadn't really thought of just how many there were…

"You want to know why I believe you?" the boy questioned quietly. "Because that was the one thing you said that I could guarantee wasn't a lie." What was he supposed to say to that? Was there anything he could say? Should he apologize? Should he ask if they could talk? Should he… should he admit that he didn't even know his soulmates name?

Harry still hadn't thought of a response by the time the boy pushed his sleeves down, donned his robes, and disappeared out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Theodore Nott.

Harry's soulmate, who he had gone to school with for the past four years, was named Theodore Nott.

Harry had been paying an almost scary amount of attention to the dark haired boy over the past couple of weeks. Ever since he revealed that the two of them were…what they were. He was right in thinking the other boy didn't speak to many people- he had only really seemed to pay attention to a boy with dark skin that Harry was ashamed to realize he didn't know the name of and a beautiful, blond haired girl that he was pretty sure had a name that started with a D.

Both were in Slytherin. Both, like Theodore, seemed to hang back or sneer in Malfoy's direction whenever he started in on Harry or began his whining. But they never actually stopped him.

Theodore still sat alone at meals, a book in his hand. Occasionally, the other two Slytherin's would stop and speak with him for a moment before moving further down the table. He always finished his food quickly and left the Great Hall before the rest of the Slytherin's. He was in the classroom before Harry every morning when they had class together (Harry flinched at the realization that he shared most of his classes with the other boy and hadn't known it until then), and was the only Slytherin that worked alone in potions. Most nights, Harry found himself sitting in bed with the Marauders Map in hand, staring at the small dot decorated with the other boy's name. He was usually in the library until curfew, then the Slytherin dorms. On a few occasions, Harry saw him reading beside the lake, as he had been the first time he met him. But he didn't speak to him.

It wasn't that he didn't want to. Of course he did! He had so many questions…but he was almost…well, he wasn't _afraid_. He just wasn't really sure he wanted the answers. Why wouldn't the Slytherin have told him about their connection unless he had decided he didn't like Harry? It wasn't as if that was unusual. A lot of people didn't like Harry. At the moment, most of the school didn't like him. They all thought he was a liar…

Of course, after seeing Theodore's arms, he began to wonder if they were right.

He never took off his robes. Never shifted so the sleeves revealed his arms. He kept the collars of his shirts buttoned to the top. Harry couldn't help but wonder just how many of his words decorated the others skin. How long had he hidden them? Always? Before they even met? The way he moved, it was if he was used to making sure no one noticed what was hidden beneath the cloth.

Harry was lost in thought but that didn't stop his eyes from resting on the Slytherin table. Didn't stop him from analyzing the way Theodore's long fingers turned page after page in the book he was reading. It was a different book than the one he had had that morning. And the one that morning had been different than the one he had the night before. Harry wondered if the boy was looking for something specific. If all the books were on the same topic or if Theodore just read anything he got his hands on. Kind of like Hermione…

No, Harry didn't want to think of Hermione. That made him think of the fact that she had been avoiding him for the past few weeks. And that she was avoiding him because Ron, the person that was supposed to be his best friend, thought he was a cheat. Hermione, who didn't, still wouldn't stand up for him because it would mean going against her soulmate.

Harry's soulmate hadn't wanted him.

He tore his eyes away from the Slytherin and looked down at his food, stabbing his fork into the chicken. Right. It was pretty bloody clear that Theodore really didn't want anything to do with him. Harry didn't even know why the other had even told him. He should have just kept it to himself and then Harry wouldn't be so confused.

He had lost his appetite.

With an annoyed huff, Harry pushed his plate away and stood from the table. Various Gryffindor's glanced at him but they were all quick to turn back to their conversations as he walked away. Of course no one was going to ask if he was okay or if he wanted company. He shouldn't have expected it after the way things had been going this year.

He had just made it to the second floor when his name was called, echoing against the otherwise silent stones. His shoulders tensed instantly and his hand flickered toward his wand, just in case someone had decided that this was the best time to 'teach him a lesson', as so many had muttered the last month. But when he turned his head, his mouth dropped just a little at the familiar boy gliding toward him. "Theodore?"

"Theo," the other returned instantly, his eyebrows raising and lip twitching in amusement. "I have to admit, I'm not sure if I should be flattered that you took the trouble to learn my name or irritated to have you constantly watching me. Maybe a mixture of both?"

Harry flushed. "I wasn't – I mean, I was, but I just wanted to-"

Harry cut himself off, fighting the urge to bury his face in his hands and groan. Well, this was embarrassing. Why did it seem like he lost all ability to think around the dark haired boy? Theo's lips twitched yet again. "Eloquent. Follow me." He turned on his heel, not even glancing back to see if Harry was doing as he requested.

Harry was.

"Where are we-"

"You have been staring. People within your house might be too oblivious to realize it but people in mine are not. It is growing troublesome. We are going to talk about whatever it is that is on your mind so you stop."

"I haven't been-"

"You have," Theo said simply, almost sighing as he did so. His eyes flickered toward Harry. "However, it would be best if our conversation was private. So, we are going somewhere private."

"Oh," that was all Harry could murmur. His heart was pounding and embarrassment made his skin feel as if it were on fire. It was one thing for Theo to know he was watching him but to think that all of Slytherin was talking about it... that Draco Malfoy had noticed it…

Yeah, that wasn't good. That meant the blonde had something he thought he could use against Harry. Well, that explained the haughty and knowing looks the other had been giving him whenever they met.

Theo led Harry into a classroom that looked as if it hadn't been used in many years. He then closed the door and began to mutter spells that Harry had never heard of. "What are you-"

"Don't want anyone to overhear," Theo answered before turning two of the desk chairs into two comfy looking armchairs. "Alright, that's better," he said as he smoothly sat in the chair closest toward the door. He gestured for Harry to take the opposing seat. "Alright, go ahead."

"I don't really_"

"You don't? So you don't want to know why I didn't tell you sooner? You don't want to know why I'm wearing one of Draco's badges? You don't want to know-"

"Alright, alright!" Harry said, face burning at how, apparently, transparent he was. "I guess I kind of want to…know those things." And more. Not that he was going to say that. He fiddled with the sleeve of his robes and looked toward the floor. "How long have you-"

"First year."

His hands stilled as his eyes snapped up. "First year?!" he yelped.

Theo nodded sharply. "Yes. If I remember correctly, it was during a potions lesson."

"Why didn't you-"

Theo rolled his eyes and leaned back in the chair. He tilted his head as he eyed Harry. "You are Harry Potter, Gryffindor who made it very clear how much you disliked Slytherin. I am Theodore Nott, son of a Death Eater and placed in Slytherin. I thought it would be easier."

Harry's jaw clenched, both at the admission that Theo thought it was _easy_ to ignore him and that he had just admitted that his father followed Voldemort. "Your father-"

"Went to school with Tom Riddle," Theo said bluntly and Harry's mouth dropped. "He is one of the original followers. It is best that I keep my head down and hope that I will not be forced into the same fate."

"Tom Riddle…"

Theo's brow furrowed. "I should not have said that," he admitted, a hand coming up and rubbing against the back of his neck. "I do not think most people are aware of his true identity. My father is one of the only people still alive that knew him during their time at Hogwarts and I was…curious when I was younger. He is not aware that I came across the information."

Harry's head was swimming. "But...wait, so you don't want to-"

"What I want does not matter in this situation," Theo responded, his voice hard. "If it were up to me, I would not fight for either side. I do not believe in the ideals of either and would rather be left alone. However, as my father's heir and his only living child, such a luxury is out of my reach."

"But…how can you say that?! Everyone has a choice! Dumbledore-"

"Dumbledore is just as bad as Riddle in many ways," Theo snapped back, his eyes flashing angrily. "It would be wise of you to realize that. Now," he stood and straightened his robes, not bothering to look at Harry as he did so. "I believe that is enough for tonight." He whipped out his wand, waving it slightly as he began to mutter the counter charm.

Harry jumped to his feet. "But – wait! What made you decide to tell me now?!"

Theo paused mid motion and Harry could only watch as his shoulders seemed to fall. "That was a mistake," he murmured, his back still toward Harry. "I did not… historically, the tasks during the tournament are extremely difficult. There are many that have died. With the way things have been going…I guess I thought you needed to know someone believed you." Harry's mouth ran dry. He wanted, so badly, to reach out and touch Theo. To thank him.

But he couldn't get his mind or his body to cooperate.

"I suppose I should wish you luck," Theo said before dropping his wand to his side and reaching for the door handle. "Be cautious and think before you do something foolhardy. I do hope that you make it out unscathed."

Harry still wasn't able to respond as the door was pulled open and Theo disappeared down the corridor.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: A lot of this dialogue is from the books and belongs to Rowling. I'm just borrowing it for the moment. :)

The only time Harry felt slightly at peace over the next couple of weeks was when he thought of his godfather and the fact that they were going to be speaking soon. He wasn't exactly sure how but Sirius had written him a letter, saying he needed to be alone in Gryffindor Tower by he fire. Harry had agreed, despite the fact that he was sure whatever it was Sirius was planning would be dangerous. He needed to see his godfather, needed a friendly face. The first task was taking place in less than a week and Harry had no idea what type of thing he was going to face or how dangerous it would be.

He stayed at the castle during the Hogsmeade weekend, not wanting to be walking around alone. He was surprised when Hagrid, who was slowly walking toward the gates with Professor Moody, spotted him and lumbered in his direction. "Harry, meet me at midnight tonight at my cabin. Bring you cloak." Harry didn't have a chance to reply as Hagrid continued on his way, chattering with the older professor.

Harry frowned as he watched the man. What could possibly be the reason Hagrid wanted to meet him at midnight? Not to mention that in doing so, he would be cutting it close to meeting Sirius. He would just have to make it a quick meeting with Hagrid. He couldn't imagine what the other man wanted to see him for anyway.

So, Harry went to bed early that night, not that anyone noticed, and pretended to be asleep when the rest of his dormmates walked in. He waited until they were all snoring before he pulled the Invisibility Cloak over himself and made his way through the common room. Despite the late hour, there were still a lot of people hanging around. Harry crept past them to the portrait hole, hoping that someone would come through, despite the late hour. For once, luck was on his side and it swung open to reveal the Weasley twins. Harry silently thanked his two surrogate brothers and slipped by the two of them before the portrait swung shut.

The grounds were dark as Harry walked toward Hagrid's hut. He knocked on the door and it swung open almost instantly. Hagrid had been waiting for him. "You there, Harry?" the man questioned.

"Yeah," Harry replied, slipping into the cabin and pulling the cloak off. "What's up?

"Got summat ter show yeh," Hagrid said in excitement, which just made Harry even more wary. The fact that he had a large flower through a buttonhole on his shirt didn't help matters. Harry couldn't help but wonder what he was getting pulled into.

"What're you showing me?"

"Coe with me, keep quiet, an' keep yerself covered with that cloak," Hagrid said. "We won't take Fang. He won't like it…"

"Hagrid, listen, I can't stay long," Harry said quickly. "I have to be back at the castle by one-"

But Hagrid wasn't listening. He opened the cabin door, which made Harry throw the cloak back on in a hurry, and then he ran to follow the long strides of the other man. Hagrid, for some reason, was heading straight for the Beauxbatons carriage. "Hagrid?"

"Shh!" Hagrid said loudly as he knocked three times on the carriage door. Madame Maxime pulled the door open only seconds later and smiled.

"Ah, Agrid. It is time?"

"Bong-sewer," Hagrid greeted the woman, holding out his hand to help her down the carriage steps. Harry bit back a horrified chuckle. Why was he here, apparently watching Hagrid go on a date? He hadn't even been on a date himself, it wasn't as if he could help the other man.

"Wair is it you are taking me, Agrid?"

Oh, so he and Madame Maxime were apparently getting the same surprise. That made Harry wonder what he and the woman could possibly have in common but there was only one thing he could come up with.

The tournament.

But what could Hagrid have to do with that?

Harry grew more and more irritated as he followed after the two of them. He kept checking his watch, worried that he was going to end up missing the meeting with his godfather. He was going to have to turn around and head back to the castle if they didn't get to this mystery surprise soon

Then, once they had walked so far that the castle and lake were out of sight, Harry saw something.

Dragons.

His mouth fell open as he stared at four, fully grown dragons. Four vicious dragons.

What was happing?

"Keep back there, Hagrid!" someone yelled and Harry turned his head to see that there were wizards standing around. The one that had shouted was holding a thick chain. "They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!"

"Isn't it beautiful?" Hagrid practically sobbed.

Harry watched as the wizards attempted to get one of the very angry dragons under control, then one ran toward the group.

Charlie Weasley.

Harry had met Ron's older brother just this past summer when he had joined the Weasley's to the Quidditch World Cup. Seeing him, Harry remembered the older man teasing Ron about seeing him sooner than he thought. Looked like he was right.

"I didn't know you were bringing her, Hagrid," Charlie said as Madame Maxime walked away. "The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming. She's bound to tell her student, isn't she?"

"Jus' thought she'd like ter see 'em," Hagrid shrugged.

"Really romantic date, Hagrid."

"So, it's one fer each of the champions, is it? What've they gotta do? Fight 'em?"

"Just get past them, I think," Charlie replied, his teasing grin falling as he looked back toward the dragons. "We'll be on hand if it gets nasty. They wanted nesting mothers, I don't know why…but I'll tell you this, I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing. Its bac end's as dangerous at its front."

The two chatted a bit more but Harry slipped away. He now knew what the first task was, well, some of it, but it wasn't making him feel any better. Dragons. What was he supposed to do against a full grown dragon? How was he going to face them in front of the entire school? In front of _three_ schools?

He sped up, wanting to talk to Sirius more now than ever. He had just under fifteen minutes to get back to the fire. He barely managed to avoid running into Karkaroff as he did so.

So now Victor was going to know about the dragons as well.

The only champion that wouldn't know what was coming was Cedric.

He reached the castle and climbed the marble stairs quickly. He was panting as he made it to the common room and he threw the Invisibility Cloak off as he sat in the armchair in front of the fire. He glanced at the flames and jumped.

Sirius's head was in the fire.

"Sirius!" Harry gasped, falling down onto the floor to be closer to the flames. "How are you?"

"Never mind me how are you?"

"I'm…" he wanted to say he was fine but he couldn't get the word out of his mouth. Instead, Harry found himself spilling most of his current worries. About how no one believed he hadn't entered his name into the goblet, Rita Skeeter and he stupid articles, how everyone sneered at him, including Ron, how Hermione was avoiding him and, of course, that the first task was dragons.

Sirius stared at him as Harry fell silent, his eyes concerned. "Dragons we can deal with, Harry, but we'll get to that in a minute. I haven't got long here and there are things I need to warn you about."

"What?" Harry asked, his spirits dropping. More bad news.

"Karkaroff," Sirius replied instantly, "Harry, he was a Death Eater. You know what Death Eaters are, don't you?"

"Yes – he – what?"

"He was caught, he was in Azkaban with me, but he got released. I'd bet everything that's why Dumbledore wanted an Auror at Hogwarts this year – to keep an eye on him. Moody caught Karkaroff. He put him into Azkaban in the first place."

"He was released? Why did they release him?"

"He made a deal with the Ministry," Sirius said bitterly. "He said he'd seen the error of his ways and then he gave names. He put a load of people into Azkaban – he's not very popular there, I can tell you. Since he got out he's been teaching Dark Arts to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the Durmstrang champion as well."

"Okay," Harry said slowly, his mind spinning. "But…are you saying Karkaroff put my name in the goblet? Because if he did, he's a really good actor. He seemed furious about it. He wanted to stop me from competing."

"We know he's a good actor," Sirius said, "because he convinced the Ministry of Magic to sset him free, didn't he? Now, I've been keeping an eye on the Daily Prophet. Harry-"

"-you and the rest of the world," Harry scoffed.

"-and reading between the lines of that Skeeter woman's article last month, Moody was attacked the night before he started at Hogwarts. Yes, I know she says it was another false alarm," Sirius said hastily when he saw Harry's expression, "but I don't think so. I think someone tried to stop him from getting to Hogwarts. And no one's going to look into it too closely; Mad-Eye's heard intruders a bit to often. But that doesn't mean he cant still spot the real thing. Moody was the best Auror the Ministry ever had."

The conversation continued, first about Moody then about the dragons. Sirius was just about to tell Harry what to do, about a certain spell, when a loud noise interrupted them. "Go!" he hissed at Sirius, "Go! Someone's coming!"

There was a tiny pop as Sirius disappeared. Harry stared at the staircase, wondering who it was that had decided to go for a walk at one in the morning…

It was Ron.

Of course it was.

"Who were you talking to?" He asked, glancing around the common room curiously. Harry snorted. After a month, this was the first thing the other boy decided to say to him?

"What's it got to do with you?" he practically snarled. "What are you doing down here?!"

"I just wondered where you-" Ron broke off and shrugged. "Nothing. I'm going to bed."

Harry pushed past him, stomping up the stairs and into their shared room. He fell into an uneasy sleep, wondering what it was Sirius had been trying to tell him.

Harry spent the entirety of the next day in the library. He learned about caring for dragons, getting away from dragons, terrifying statistics about dragons and death…but nothing about fighting them. Nothing about some spell, like Sirius had mentioned.

He spent the entire day in the library and he found _nothing_.

After another night of getting rotten sleep, Harry woke Monday morning and shuffled into the Great Hall for breakfast. He was picking at his food when loud laughter made him glance up – and when he did, the thoughts from two days ago rushed back.

Cedric didn't know about the dragons.

He waited until the corridor was mostly empty, all except Cedric and his friends remained, then pointed his wand at Cedric's bag. _"Dffindo!"_

The bag split and Cedric's belongings fell out. The older boy shooed his friends away in exasperation, telling them that he would meet up with them. When his friends departed, Harry hurried up the corridor and told the seventh year about the dragons.

"Are you sure?"

"Dead sure. I've seen them."

"But how did you find out? We're not supposed to know…"

"Never mind," Harry said quickly, not wanting to get Hagrid in trouble. "I'm not the only one that knows. Fleur and Krum will know by now as well."

"Why are you telling me?"

"It's just…fair, isn't it? We all know now. We're on even footing, aren't we?"

It was then that Moody appeared. He sent Cedric away and told Harry to follow him. Harry swallowed hard, wondering how much trouble he would be in for not following the rules of the tournament. Would he tell Dumbledore? Or maybe turn Harry into a ferret, like he had done to Malfoy a couple of weeks ago.

but that wasn't it.

Instead, Moody talked about different things. In a round about way, he also told Harry how to get past the dragons.

Play to your strengths.

So that was what Harry was trying to do. He needed a way to get his broom to him. A summoning charm.

So he practiced. Over and over again in the same classroom Theo had taken him to over a week ago. But no matter how much he tried, he wasn't able to get it to work. He had less than a week to face the dragon and he had nothing to work with.

He didn't know what to do.

He had just finished eating dinner and was making his way to the classroom once again when his name was yelled down the otherwise silent corridor. Harry turned quickly, wand at ready, only to let it fall when he saw Neville walking toward him. "Neville?"

"Hiya, Harry," Neville muttered, shuffling his feet as he glanced at Harry's face, then toward the floor. "I, uh, wanted to say that I…I mean, I don't think you did it. Your name. The goblet, I mean. I just…I don't think you did."

Harry blinked at his dormmate. "I…thanks."

Neville nodded jerkily. "I…yeah. I just wanted you to know…I mean, I should have said something sooner, I just…"

"It's fine," Harry said, fully meaning it when he saw Neville's worried expression. "I understand." Seeing Neville's downtrodden expression, Harry continued on. "Actually, I'm working on something for the first task. The summoning charm. Do you think you could help me? I'm having trouble getting it to work…"

Neville's eyebrows rose. "I…sorry, Harry. I'm not… I mean, I wouldn't be any help. But – I saw you talking to that Slytherin the other day. The one that reads a lot? You two seemed to be on okay terms."

Harry's brows furrowed. Neville had seen them? When? "I, yeah. I guess we're on…okay terms."

"Well," Neville said, wringing his hands together nervously. "Well, he's actually the first in our year."

Harry frowned, confused. "But – Hermione…."

"Well, they're fighting for first," Neville amended. "The two of them are miles ahead of the rest of us and switch between first and second. Right now, Nott's winning. Maybe he can help?"

Neville bid Harry good bye and Harry could only wave as he wondered just how much he didn't know about his soulmate.


End file.
